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Connecticut Man Claims He Was Shot By Aaron Hernandez

A Connecticut man who claims to have been shot by Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez is suing the player for damages, the man’s attorney said Wednesday. The law...
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The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Alexander S. Bradley, alleges that Hernandez and Bradley were at Tootsie’s strip club in Miami on Feb. 13 when the two had an argument. They left the club in a car with two other people and drove toward Palm Beach.

Hernandez had a gun, which he was not licensed to have, the complaint states. He “caused the gun to go off while aiming it at the defendant,” the lawsuit states.

The complaint alleges that Hernandez was reckless, negligent and intended to harm Bradley. It also states that Hernandez’s actions were deliberate.

Bradley’s attorney, David Jaroslawicz, said that once Hernandez responds to the court action he can begin hearing testimony and “hopefully find out what happened.”

Jaroslawicz filed the complaint in U.S. District Court in Florida on Wednesday. He said the complaint was filed earlier in the month but withdrawn because there was an error in it. A corrected version was filed again.

Bradley suffered injuries to his right hand and arm, as well as the right side of his face, Jaroslawicz said. He had multiple surgeries to reconstruct his face and will require more, according to the complaint. Plates and screws were surgically inserted in Bradley’s face, hand and arm, and he has lost the use of his right eye, the lawsuit says.

A Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department report on the shooting indicates Bradley was found on the ground bleeding from his head and hand about 6:45 a.m. Feb 13 in an industrial area of Riviera Beach, Fla. He insisted to the man who found him and a police officer who arrived shortly thereafter that he did not know who shot him.

He was not cooperative with police and refused to answer questions, claiming it hurt to speak.

Det. Kenny Smith wrote in a report that he tried to speak with Bradley at St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Fla. after being notified by a nurse that Bradley was conscious.

“I was told the victim was conscious and talking, albeit being very rude and uncooperative with them as well,” Smith wrote. “I was able to speak to the victim who was recovering in the ICU. He was not as uncooperative with myself, but refused to cooperate with the investigation. He asked that the investigation not go any further. I explained that without his cooperation, the investigation would cease. He understood.”

Bradley is seeking damages in excess of $100,000, according to the complaint.

Bradley is a convicted drug dealer who acknowledged to police after they arrested him in 2006 that he had been dealing cocaine for at least eight months.

Bradley was arrested by the East Central Narcotics Task Force in March 2006 as part of a wide-ranging drug investigation, according to police reports. When police searched the East Hartford home he shared with his mother they found cocaine, marijuana and more than $800 in cash, according to the report prepared by Manchester Officer John Rossetti.

The police report said that Bradley was arrested as he drove away from the house as the task force was preparing to execute a search warrant for the Mountain View Drive home where he lived with his mother. Bradley was charged with selling narcotics. He pleaded guilty to the charges in July 2006 and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

It is unclear how long Bradley has known Hernandez or what their connection was.

Hernandez also is being questioned by police in Massachusetts in a separate case after a body was discovered near his home in North Attleborough.

Hernandez is a native of Bristol and played football at Bristol Central High School before attending the University of Florida. He was drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL draft.

He was The Courant’s state defensive player of the year in 2006, and his brother D.J. Hernandez was a quarterback at UConn.

By Kelly Glista, Hartford Courant

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